Saxophonist Donny McCaslin and his band, featured on David Bowie‘s Blackstar, will make their Motéma Music debut on October 14, 2016. Beyond Now, an album dedicated to Bowie, was recorded nearly 3 months after his passing.

Collaborators on this project include Blackstar bassist Tim Lefebvre (Tedeschi Trucks Band, Saturday Night Live), drummer Mark Guiliana (Meshell Ndegeocello, Brad Mehldau) and Jason Lindner (Now Vs Now), along with guitarist Nate Wood and producer David Binney. Beyond Now’s repertoire features two Bowie songs, covers of Deadmau5, MUTEMATH and the Chainsmokers as well as compelling McCaslin originals including the title composition.

GRAMMY® Nominations, Albums and Influences

With three GRAMMY® nominations and 11 albums to his name, McCaslin’s path to Bowie and Beyond Now can be traced back to 2011 with the release of his album Perpetual Motion. Two subsequent albums Casting for Gravity (2012) and Fast Future (2015) released with his working band were directly influenced by electronica artists (covering groups such as Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, and Baths), which netted McCaslin a 2013 GRAMMY® nomination for “Best Improvised Jazz Solo.”

The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with David Bowie came after composer Maria Schneider, a longtime collaborator, recommended McCaslin and his group to Bowie. Schneider and Bowie were working on the track “Sue (Or in a Season of Crime),” which featured McCaslin as a soloist. In June 2014, Bowie followed Schneider’s advice and visited McCaslin and company at the 55 Bar in Greenwich Village. Soon after, Bowie began emailing McCaslin and sending music, forming a new collaboration and friendship. The result is Beyond Now, which documents “David Bowie’s Last Band” as they were processing both their grief and Bowie’s distinctive impact.

BEYOND NOW TRACK LISTING
1. Shake Loose (McCaslin)
2. A Small Plot of Land (David Bowie/Brian Eno/Sterling Campbell/Reeves C. Gabrels/Michael David Garson/Erdal H. Kizilcay)
3. Beyond Now (McCaslin)
4. Coelacanth 1 (Deadmau5)
5. Bright Abyss (McCaslin)
6. FACEPLANT (McCaslin)
7. Warszawa (David Bowie & Brian Eno)
8. Glory (McCaslin)
9. Remain (Mutemath)

DONNY McCASLIN U.S. TOUR DATES
July 29 – Newport Jazz Festival – Newport, RI
August 10 – BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! – Brooklyn, NY
August 23 – Cape Cod Jazz Festival – Harwich, MA
August 24 – Museum of Fine Arts – Boston, MA
August 25 – Blue – Portland, ME
August 28 – Charlie Parker Jazz Festival – New York, NY
September 16-17 – Blue Whale – Los Angeles, CA
September 18 – Monterey Jazz Festival – Monterey, CA
September 19 – Yoshi’s Oakland – Oakland, CA
September 20-21 – Dazzle Jazz Restaurant & Lounge – Denver, CO
October 12 – The Jazz Kitchen – Indianapolis, IN
October 13 – South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center – South Milwaukee, WI
October 14-15 – The Green Mill – Chicago, IL
October 16 – Des Mounes Social Club – Des Moines, IA
October 17 – The Washington – Burlington, IA
October 18 – The Mill – Iowa City, IA
October 19-22 – Jazz St. Louis – St. Louis, MO
October 23 – We Always Swing Jazz Series – Columbia, MO
October 24 – Jefferson College Fine Arts Theatre – Hillsboro, MO
November 29-December 4 – The Village Vanguard – New York, NY

Listen to a Beyond Now teaser at DONNY McCASLIN. Fans will receive “A Small Plot of Land” instantly when pre-ordering a download of the album.

By Andrea Hammer

Andrea Karen Hammer is the founder, director and owner of Artsphoria Publishing, Media Group & Shop (https://www.artsphoria.org): Artsphoria International Magazine (https://www.artsphoria.com); Artsphoria Movie Reviews & Film Forum (https://www.artsphoria.us); Artsphoria: Arts, Business & Technology Center (https://www.artsphoria.biz); Artsphoria Event Advertising & Reporting (https://www.artsphoria.info); Artsphoria: Food for the Soul (https://artsphoria.live); Artsphoria Animation & Imagination World (https://www.artsphoria.net) and Artsphoria Shop (https://www.artsphoriashop.com). She is a freelance writer who has published articles in international publications.

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